EXECUTI VE OFFI CE OF THE PRESI DENT

OFFI CE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

WASHI NGTON, D. C. 20503


February 26, 2013
(House Rules)
ST AT E MENT OF ADMI NISTRATI ON POLI CY
S. 47 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013
(Sen. Leahy, D-VT, and 61 cosponsors)

The Administration is pleased that the House of Representatives has committed to reauthorizing
the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), but the Administration cannot support the
House substitute to S. 47 as currently drafted.

The Administration supports the measures in the House bill to reduce domestic violence
homicides and to provide resources to States to address rape and sexual assault and recognizes
that the bill does not include some of the harmful rollbacks in victim protection that were
contained in the version passed by the House in the 112th Congress. However, the bill fails to
include critical improvements passed by a large bipartisan margin in the Senate that would
continue the progress the Nation has made in combating violence against women.

The bill omits crucial provisions that would address the high rates of violence experienced by
young women on college campuses. For example, the Senate bill requires colleges and
universities to provide information to students about dating violence and sexual assault and to
develop policies that improve reporting, investigation, and services for victims of these crimes.
Every parent who has sent a child off to college knows the importance of these commonsense
measures to keep young people safe.

The House bill also would inhibit the successful prosecution by tribal authorities of non-Indian
perpetrators of domestic violence. The proposal as currently drafted would continue to allow for
disparate treatment of Indian and non-Indian offenders and fails to adequately address serious
criminal violations of domestic violence in Tribal communities. The Administration urges the
House to adopt the Senate language recognizing Tribal criminal jurisdiction in domestic violence
cases.

The Administration is disappointed that the House bill does not require covered housing
programs to implement emergency transfer plans for victims of domestic violence and sexual
assault and does not explicitly protect LGBT victims of crime from discrimination when they
seek services or protections funded by VAWA. Unfortunately, the House measure also does not
reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which provides critical protections and
services for victims of modern day slavery.

The Administration urges the House to fulfill its commitment to reauthorize VAWA by
scheduling a vote on the bipartisan version of S. 47 that overwhelmingly passed the Senate and
was championed by both Democrats and Republicans.

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